The Four Drivers of Redesign

The Cross State High School Redesign Collaborative is built around a hopeful, positive, future-orientated framework to redesign high schools for the 21st Century. We organize the evidence base into four key drivers of student outcomes that schools can directly influence and impact.

Organizing Adults

Students at the Center

Organizing teachers, administrators, partners, parents AND students daily interactions to leave them more satisfied, productive, supported, connected, and engaged.

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Focusing high school redesign efforts on always keeping students at the center of their educational experiences.

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Teaching & Learning

Postsecondary Pathways

Focusing on how to best stage and sequence teach and learning to build the necessary teacher, leader, and student capacities in supportive and achievable manners.

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Redesigning all students’ postsecondary pathways to focus on high school as a beginning not an ending. 

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What is The CSHSC?

This two-minute video describes the Cross State High School Redesign Collaborative’s goals for high school redesign.

About CSHSC

The Cross State High School Redesign Collaborative (CSHSC) was established in 2017 and is a joint effort of six participating states, Ohio, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, supported by the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and Civic Enterprises.

The goal is to use the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to enable high schools with low graduation rates in under-served communities to reinvent themselves and become institutions that propel adolescents to adult success in their communities in the 21st century.

The participating states and partners are co-developing an evidence-based high school redesign process with supportive tools and practices.  Learn more.

Getting Started
XQ Super School Redesign Resources

The XQ Super School Project offers a wide-variety of valuable multi-media resources to help redesign teams through the challenges and rewards of redesign.

XQ Knowledge Modules

A mix of cutting-edge academic research and inspiration to help anyone think boldly about both the possibilities and the realities of rethinking high school. Read more.

XQ Expert Series

A series of conversations with transformational leaders in education. Each module contains inspiring stories, examples, and lessons learned from across the country. Read more.

High School Redesign Workbook

High School Redesign Workbook is a comprehensive redesign tool designed by CSHSC collaborators to assist in the sequencing and design of your high school redesign. Updated in May, 2022, tt is easily customizable to include specific shool, district, and/or state redesign components.

Download the Workbook (PDF)
Download the Workbook (MS Word)
 

Conduct Needs Assessments

Needs assessments help schools identify current areas of challenge and where evidence-based redesign improvement strategies can be best be applied. Learn more. . .

 

Inviting Community Input

Community Input from students, parents, educators, redesign partners, and community members is a vital component to high school design. Engaging community participation in redesign helps revitalize the high school community. Learn more. 

The New ABCs

The new ABCs are an expansion of the traditional Attendance, Behavior, and Course Performance ABCs for developing our capacities for Agency, Belonging, and Connectedness to nurture a culture of joy in our school communities.  Learn More

Upcoming Events

New Podcast Series!
Designing Education

A podcast series hosted by Robert Balfanz, director of the Everyone Graduates Center. Conversations with leaders in education from around the country on bold new ideas and research-based strategies for redesigning American education to more effectively engage all students and equip them for the challenges of today’s workplace and world. Learn more.

Click here for CSHSC Events Calendar

Click here for a listing of all past CSHSC Events

Why Redesign?

Now more than ever before it’s clear that the current educational system was not designed to provide pathways to happiness and success in life for ALL of our young people.

High school redesign affords educators the opportunity to co-create a school community where all want to be—one which brings joy to students and adults alike.

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The New ABCs

Developing our capacities for agency, belonging, and connectedness nurture a culture of joy in our school communities. Learn More

AGENCY

The ability to take action and/or choose what action to take.

BELONGING

Being accepted as you truly are and as an equal participant in how things are created.

CONNECTEDNESS

Engaging in meaningful activities with supportive adults and peers where you are seen, heard, and valued.

School redesign affords educators the opportunity to co-create a space where all want to be – adults and students alike – elevating the insights of teachers, students, and families that allow a manifestation of educational experiences that are designed to be of service for all.

Throughout this school year, school teams of teachers and students across the country have worked together to conduct research; survey and shadow students, teachers, and staff; and test prototypes to figure out how to change the school experience and strengthen student and teacher agency, a sense of belonging, and school connectedness.

These school teams from across the nation will attend the National School Redesign Showcase at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC on May 9, 2024 and present their findings. The showcase is free to the public, and we encourage you to attend and experience the innovative solutions and recommendation the teams envision. We look forward to seeing you in May!

Relationships: the Superpower of Redesign

CSHSC’s goal is to assist schools high schools in high-needs communities to reinvent themselves and become institutions that propel adolescents towards adult success in their communities.

Building and fostering postivie relationships inside and outside the school are vital to successful implementation of the Four Key Drivers.

Shifting Mindsets

Building relationships often means shifting existing mindsets.

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What the Evidence Says

Use evidence-based research and approaches to build positive relationships.

Learn more about the CSHSC.

Designing Education

New Series! Designing Education A podcast series hosted byRobert Balfanz, director of the Everyone Graduates Center Conversations with leaders in education from around the country on bold new ideas and research-based strategies for redesigning American education to more effectively engage all students and equip them for the challenges of today’s workplace and...

CSHSC COVID19 RESOURCES

Schools Start Here Series: Guides for ESSER Spending, Scheduling, and Staffing

The Schools Start Here series was developed by ERS and dives into the resource side of ESSER strategy and planning. These guides offer a blueprint for how to organize resources as part of a sustainable ESSER investment strategy — beginning with practical, “Do Now” starting points for what the 2021-22 school year could look like. Learn more.

When COVID-19 began in 2020, CSHSC began offering resources to help educators cope with the continuing challenges of providing learning & support to students, families, teachers, staff during the pandemic, and the unique challeges associated with reopening schools for 2021. Learn more.

Our virtual forums focuses on helping educators continue to keep focused on their redesign efforts. View recorded forums.

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